Wednesday, February 04, 2015

Oregon Bankrupts Bible-clinging Baker: Gay Agenda

Demonstrating the power of a totalitarian government executing the Gay Agenda, Oregon administrative law judge Alan McCullough has ruled that Aaron and Melissa Klein, owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa, in Gresham, violated state law by resisting forced participation in a same-sex wedding ceremony. The six-figure fine assessed by the state against the Kleins, to be paid to the lesbian couple, will lead to personal bankruptcy of the Christians, who have already been forced to close their bakery shop.

"Americans should not have to choose between adhering to their faith or closing their business, but that is what this decision means."-- Anna Harmon, Klein's attorney

A hearing is scheduled in March to determine how much in damages two Oregon bakers owe a lesbian couple [Rachel Cryer and Laurel Bowman] for refusing to bake them a wedding cake in 2013.

An administrative law judge has rejected the bakers' contention that the state's discrimination laws violate their religious freedom, the Oregon labor department said Monday.

His decision could be appealed to the [Oregon Court of Appeals].

Anna Harmon of Canby, one of three attorneys representing the Kleins, said the judge was wrong to decide that neither the state nor the federal constitution protects their right "not to design and create a work of art celebrating an event which violates the tenets of their religion."

An administrative law judge has rejected an attempt by lawyers representing the owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa to dismiss the case and award them $200,000 for damages, court costs and attorney fees.

Both sides had sought summary judgment in the dispute. But in his Jan. 29 interim order, Alan McCullough found that the undisputed facts in the case supported charges of unlawful discrimination under the Oregon Equality Act.

Oregon law bans discrimination against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in jobs and in places that serve the public, such as restaurants and bakeries.

Lawyers for the Kleins tried unsuccessfully last summer to remove [Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad] Avakian from the proceedings on the grounds that he is biased in favor of gay rights.

The owners of Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery will have to pay the couple up to $150,000, BOLI [Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries] spokesman Charlie Burr said. The exact amount will be determined at a hearing on March 10.

Bowman filed an anti-discrimination complaint with BOLI later that year, alleging that the bakery violated the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, which protects the rights of Oregonians who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.

Sweet Cakes closed its doors in Dec. 2013, in the midst of the public backlash from the investigation. The owner of the bakery said she would keep baking cakes at a home-based bakery.

“I’ve never seen a government entity use a law to come after somebody because they have a religious view,” [Aaron Klein] said. “I truly believe Brad Avakian is trying to send a message. I don’t think the constitution of the state of Oregon means anything to these people.”

“They’re trying to push us into the closet for being Christians,” he said.

The Kleins’ troubles started in January 2013 when they turned away that lesbian couple. The bakers were relentlessly pummeled in the media. LGBT activists launched protests and boycotts. They tell me their small children even received death threats — simply because they chose to follow the teachings of their faith.

At some point the activists threatened to launch boycotts against any wedding vendor that did business with the Kleins. That turned out to be the death blow to their retail shop. Today, Melissa bakes cakes out of the family’s home.

Administrative Law Judge Allan McCullough included the recommended award in his April 21 111-page proposed order. The recommendation is not a fine or a penalty against Sweetcakes by Melissa’s operators Melissa and Aaron Klein, but an award for emotional distress that the couple felt because of the discrimination.

McCullough’s proposed order awards $60,000 in damages to Laurel Bowman-Cryer and $75,000 in damages to Rachel Bowman-Cryer. According to the proposed order, McCullough said the Kleins violated the Oregon Equality Act of 2007, which protects the rights of gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in employment, housing and public places.

According to BOLI officials, the agency has only found evidence of violations in six investigations of Equality Act accommodations complaints in the seven years.

Oregon’s Bureau of Labor and Industries will use McCullough’s proposed award as part of its final order. Both the Kleins and BOLI administrative prosecutors will review the proposed order and may file exceptions. Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian will issue the agency’s final ord er in the case. Once a final order has been set, the respondents can appeal the ruling to the Oregon Court of Appeals.